Stefan Juraschek, vice president development electric-powertrain, outlines the company’s strategy for EV and battery supply chain. As part of a mixed drivetrain future, BMW will base its model range on a flexible platform. The company will be able to make agile choices of all-electric, hybrid drive or combustion engines, according to market demand. This will Read More..

Digital twins are shaping up to be a key tool as automotive companies proceed with digitalization across the entire value chain. But it’s not easy to get a handle on these virtual representations. In a production environment, the concept of a digital twin is comparatively easy to grasp. It’s an obvious part of Industry 4.0 Read More..

Purchasing departments need to be re-oriented and open to digital tools. Otherwise, the competitiveness of automakers and their supplier partners will be at risk. Never before have purchasing agents in automotive companies been under the kind of pressure that they are today. Their daily activities show the strains of the stringent regulatory requirements and new customer Read More..

SEAT is the first car manufacturer to join Alastria, a multi-sector network of over 70 Spanish businesses and institutions developing, testing and collaborating on a blockchain infrastructure. It is already working on a proof-of-concept blockchain project with Telefónica to improve the traceability of parts within the supply chain for its Martorell factory [pictured], as part Read More..

Volkswagen has added a 3D printing center to its Toolmaking unit in Wolfsburg, to make complex vehicle components both for prototyping and then series production. It features new-generation HP-supplied printers with a fast, flexible binder jetting process; this supplements the selective laser melting (SLM) process used earlier, and is said to make metallic 3D printing Read More..

Hyundai Kia’s logistics division, Hyundai Glovis, has automated the packaging of semi-knockdown components at its logistics centres in Asan and Ulsan, South Korea. The move is the first step in a wider company initiative to increase productivity through the introduction of smart logistics. By Marcus Williams Machines are being used both to package the parts Read More..

Škoda is testing the use of autonomous drones for stocktaking at its factory in Mladá Boleslav, Czechia. The drone is detecting, identifying and counting empty containers outside the factory from above, three times a day, and the data it collects is transferred to Škoda’s logistics department for processing. The drone, under testing since May 2018, Read More..

The Munich auto giant claims a company first in bringing building, systems, logistics and assembly planners as well as production employees together to assess new production areas in virtual reality, and test new procedures using 3D glasses. The cockpit pre-assembly workstations for the new 3 Series sedan were the first to benefit from this new Read More..

ZF Friedrichshafen has started experimenting with a drone prototype to quickly transport spare parts at its plant in southern Germany. Once test flights are completed, drones will help relieve vehicle traffic at the plant and move parts such as sensors or control cards from a central warehouse to workshops faster than before, the automotive supplier Read More..

Global steel firm SSAB, a major supplier of steel to the automotive industry, and Kemppi, a digital welding technology specialist, have integrated their cloud-based SmartSteel and WeldEye systems for a streamlined tracking process to speed up welding. Following a successful pilot trial, SSAB clients already using the Kemppi WeldEye software can now get automatic material Read More..